Serving apparatus for roll-paper.



Patented May 19,1914.

G.T.JOHNSON.

SERVING APPARATUS FOR ROLL PAPER.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 25, 1913.

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GEORGE T. JOHNSON, 0F MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS.

Y SERVING APPARATUS FOR ROLL-PAPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 19, 1914.

Original application filed April 26, 1913, Serial No. 763,795. Dividedand this application filed. October 25, 1913. Serial No. 797,172.

To aZZ whom it 12? cry concern Be it known that I, GEORGE T. JorrNsoN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Melrose, in the county ofMiddlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new anduseful Improvement in Serving Apparatus for Roll-Paper, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

The invention relates to roll-paper holders or serving apparatus ofthetype illustrated by the holder or serving apparatus shown and describedin the U. S. Letters Patent to G. F. Kearney, No. 1,045,535, grantedDecember 17 1912.

'The invention has reference more especially to the employment of woundrolls of paper on the order of that shown, described and claimed in myapplication for U. S. Letters Patent filed April 26, 1913, Serial No. 763,7 95, out of which the subject-matter claimed herein has beendivided. The said wound rolls respectively comprise a wound continuouslength of paper, usually having transverse lines of weakening atdistances apart corresponding withthe lengths of successive portionsintended to be detached separately in the form of sections or sheets foruse as paper towels, toilet paper and the like.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings, in whichlatter,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a fixture or serving apparatus embodying thepresent invention, showing in section a. wound roll of paper on theorder of that of my application aforesaid. Fig. 2 is an end view of thesaid fixture or serving apparatus with the wound roll omitted. Fig. 8 isa front view of the base or back-plate of the fixture.

Figs. 4 and 5 respectively are views looking at the opposite ends of thecore or carrier of the roll of paper. Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional detailviews illustrating lockshown in F 1. The vertical recess at the back ofthe hook-shaped extension 5 at each end of the base or back-platereceives the wire pintle of the corresponding side-arm and constitutes abearing therefor. When the fixture is attached to a wall, the lattercloses the said recess so that the wire pintle cannot leave its bearing.To limit the inward swinging movement of each arm so that when in itsworking position the arm shall extend forward at right angles from theplate, the arm is furnished with a lateral shoulder 6 which makescontact with the front face of the plate when the arm is swung inwardinto its working position. For the accommodation of screws or bolts forattaching the fixture to a wall or other support, the plate is formedwith transversely elongated slots 7, 7 through which. the stems of thesaid screws or bolts may be passed.

One of the side-arms, namely that marked 2, has attached thereto fixedlyone end of a shaft extending vacross to the other sidearm, 2 The saidshaft is spirally threaded as at 8, Fig. 1,. for a portion of its lengthnext adjacent the side-arm 2 to which the shaft is attached. The threadis a quick thread. The threading may be effected by grooving or millingthe said portion of the shaft, or by forming the said portion polygonalin cross seotion primarily and twisting it, so that the angles shallform a multiple thread, or by applying a similarly twisted polygonaltube. The remainder of the length of the shaft is of smaller diameterand is smooth and unthreaded. Upon the smaller portion 9 of the shaftare sleeved a longitudinally expanding spiral spring 10, a collar 11,adapted to slide upon the shaft lengthwise thereof, a smallerlongitudinally expanding spiral spring 12, and a tube 13, the end of thelatter extending to the end of the small portion of the shaft. A socketto receive the. said tube is provided in a boss 14 projectingtransversely inward from the side-arm 2. the socket is such as toprovide a close but easy sliding fit for the tube 13.

The roll 15 of paper surrounds a cylindrical core or carrier 16 havingtwo diaphragms or disks, each formed with a central hole for the passagetherethrough of the supporting shaft. The disk 17 is provided with meansto engage with the threaded portion 8 of the shaft. In Fig. 4, the hole17 through the said disk is quadrangular and the convex intermediateportions of the edge of the hole enter the depressions between theraised portions of the thread of the shaft. Consequently, the disk 17 isa nut-element. It engages with the threaded portion of the shaft like anequivalent of a nut. It centers the corresponding portion of the core orcarrier and roll with relation to the shaft. The sliding collar 11 isshaped and proportioned so as toenable it to pass entirely through thehole 17, in the disk 17. In this instance it is square in cross-sectionand in such respect corresponds with the hole 17 It also is tapering toenable it to enter partway into the central hole 18 of the disk 18 ofthe core or carrier, so as to fit tightly within said hole and serve tosupport and center the corresponding portion of the core or carrier androll.

As thus far described, the construction and arrangement are such thatwhen the core or carrier, with a roll of paper thereon, is mounted uponthe shaft with the disk 17 engaged with the threaded part 8 of saidshaft and with the disk 18 engaged with the exterior of the taperingcollar 11, the core or carrier and roll will be supported concentricallywith the shaft, and through the power of the longitudinally expandingspring 9 will be caused to occupy a position nearer the side-arm 2 andwith a clear space between the side-arm 2 and the next adjacent end ofthe core or carrier. hen now the leading end of the strip of paper ispulled upon so as to draw the paper from the roll and cause the latterto turn, the turning movement, and the engagement of the disk 17 withthe threaded portion of the non-rotating shaft, will cause the core orcarrier and roll to travel endwise toward the side-arm 2., therebycausing collar 11 to compress the spring 9, until the increasing tensionof said spring causes the strip to tear across at a line of weakening,or until the coils of said spring close up together, or it might beuntil either the core or carrier ,or the roll brings up against asuitable stop, in vthis case the said side-arm or a projection inconnection therewith, whereby the endwisemovement of the core or carrierand roll, and consequently the turning movement thereof, will bearrested and the continued pull upon the paper will cause the paper topart at the line of weakening between The internal diameter of theperiphery of the roll and the hand that is pulling upon the paper. Thethread of the shaft being a quick thread, a small extent of turningmovement of the roll, 71. 6. one or more turns thereof, will operate tocarry the roll endwise to the predetermined limit. The endwise movementof the roll and core or carrier compresses the spring 9 lengthwisebetween the collar 11 and the shoulder at the end of the threadedportion of the shaft. The parting of the paper releases the roll so thatthe spring 10 is permitted to act against collar 11 to press the core orcarrier and roll endwise towardthe sidearm 2 the engagement of the disk17 with the threaded portion of the shaft producing a reverse rotarymovement of the core or carrier and roll. The roll comes to rest in itsprimary position with the free end of the strip of paper exposed inreadiness to be grasped.

The core or carrier usually in practice is cylindrical. The holes in thedisks 17 and 18 are formed centrally in the said disks, so that the coreor carrier and the roll thereon naturally occupy a position concentricwith the shaft.

The spring 12 between the sleeve 11 and the tube 13 serves as a yieldingcushion by which the return movement of the core or carrier and rollthereon is checked.

Having reference to the locking arrangements, the close fit between thetube 13 and the inner wall of the socket in connection with side-arm 2into which it enters is such that the tube can enter the socket onlywhen the tube and socket are presented in a straight line with respectto each other. As shown in Fig. 1, when side-arm 2 stands at rightangles to the plate, the inner end of the socket is located at the innerside of a plane at right angles to the plane of the plate and passingthrough the pivotal axis of the said sidearm. Assuming the parts to berelated as in Fig. 1, it will be apparent that force acting with atendency to swing the side-arm 2* outward about the pivotal axis onwhich the said side-arm swings will tend to cause the socket occupied bythe tube to become inclined in the direction of its length with respectto the tube, so that one point of the inner surface of the socket willcramp against the extreme end of the tube at the point a: on one side ofthe axis of the latter and another point of such surface will crampagainst the exterior of the-tube at a point y at the diametricallyopposite side of the said axis. The cramping or binding will preventrelative endwise movement of the socket with respect to the tube. As thetube is held from passing off the end of the shaft by the head that isformed in' such end as in Fig. 6, the side-arm will thereby be locked inits inwardly closed position. The unlocking of the side-arm 2 iseffected by moving the said side-arm into such position that the socketthereof is parallel with the exterior of the tube thus rendering thetube free to have lengthwise movement within the socket, and then takinghold of the knurled exposed inner portion of the tube and sliding thetube inward along the shaft. This of course can be done only when theroll has been completely unwound and the core or carrier slitted orpartly broken or cut away, for as long as any of the roll remains thetube is covered and inaccessible. Spring 12 yields to permit thishandefl'ected inward sliding movement of the tube. When the tube hasbeen moved inward the short distance necessary to relieve the pressureof its extreme end against the interior wall of the socket during theoutward swinging movement of arm 2, the cramping action will no longeroccur when the said swinging movement is caused to take place, andconsequently a complete outward swinging movement of the said side-armis permitted.

hen this has happened, the core or carrier may be removed and preferablya roll wound upon another similar core or carrier may be placed upon theshaft, although in some instances the same core or carrier may becontinued in use upon the shaft after having had a fresh roll mountedthereon. The hinge-connection of the arm 2 with the plate facilitatesthe operation of removing the core and placing a flesh roll upon theshaft, by rendering it possible to swing the said arm 2 outward so as togive the shaft a forwardly inclined position, in which the roll may morereadily be applied. If this outward swinging movement of the arm 2 andforward shift of the shaft is not desired, and if a rigid connection ofthe arm 2 and the plate is found acceptable, then the said arm and theplate may either be formed integral with each other or fixedly connectedtogether in any suitable manner. In the operation of closing theside-arm 2 inward, the end of the boss around the socket therein firstencounters the end of the tube and slides the tube inward along theshaft until the axes of the shaft and tube and the socket are all in astraight line or coincide, and the end of the tube registers with theentrance to the socket, whereupon the spring 12 projects the tubeoutward within the socket and the arm is permitted to assume itscomplete inward or working position.

The spring 12 acts to cushion the collar 11 in the return movementproduced by the action of the spring 10. In addition, a stoppin 20applied to the shaft prevents too great a movement of the collar outwardtoward the arm 2 The said stop-pin also backs up the spring 12 so thatthe tension thereof shall oppose any undertaking to pick the look bypushing back the tube by means of a blade or wire introduced into thecentral opening of the roll alongside the boss of arm 2 when the rollhas been caused to move over against the side-arm 2.

The boss 14: of arm 2 constitutes an internal support and bearing forthe end of the roll which surrounds the same.

In the preferred locking arrangement of Fig. 7, the shaft 9 is shorterthan in the construction which has been described, the tube 13 isomitted, and the end-portion of the shaft has an axial bore receiving apin 21 and a longitudinally expanding spring 22. The outer end-portionof the said pin extends beyond the end of the shaft, and

normally is kept projected'by the action of unlocking by taking hold ofthe exposed head of stop-screw 23. V

The locking arrangements shown herein constitute a separate improvementor invention and I make no claim thereto herein.

I claim as my invention 1. In combination, a stationary non-rotatingroll-supporting shaft with quickthreaded portion, a roll-core or centerfurnished with disks, one of which constitutes a nut-element cooperatingwith the said quickthreaded portion to produce endwise travel of theroll in one direction independently of the shaft when the end of thewound strip is pulled upon to unwind the same, and a spring upon theshaft acting against the other disk to return the roll endwise when thepull upon the strip terminates.

2. In combination, a stationary non-rotating roll-supporting shaft withquickthreaded portion, a roll-core or center hav-- ing fittings withopenings centrally of the roll, one of said fittings cooperating as anutelement with said quick-threaded portion of the shaft to occasionendwise travel of the roll when the end of the wound strip is pulledupon to unwind the same, a collar upon the shaft acting in connectionwith the other fitting to center the roll, and a spring acting upon thesaid collar to return the roll endwise when the pull upon the stripterminates.

3. In combination, a dispensing fixture having a stationary non-rotatingroll-supporting shaft with quick-threaded portion, the said shaftadapted for the direct application thereto of a roll of paper or thelike having as a permanent part thereof a nutelement cooperating withsaid quick-threaded portion to produce endwise travel of the roll in onedirection independently upon the &

shaft when the end of the wound strip is pulled upon to unwind thestrip, and a spring acting to return the roll endwise when the pull uponthe strip terminates.

4. In combination, a dispensing fixture having a stationary non-rotatingroll-supporting shaft with quick-threaded portion, the said shaftadapted for the direct application thereto of a roll of paper or thelike having as a permanent part thereof a core furnished with anut-element cooperating with the said quick-threaded portion to produceendwise travel of the roll in one direction independently upon the shaftwhen the end of the wound strip is pulled upon to unwind the same, and aspring acting upon the core to return the roll endwise when the pullupon the strip terminates.

5. In combination, a dispensing fixture having a stationary non-rotatingroll-supporting shaft with quick-threaded portion, a roll of paper orthe like having as a per? manent part thereof a core furnished withdisks, one of which constitutes a nut-element cooperating with the saidquick-threaded portion to produce endwise travel of the roll in onedirection independently of the shaft when the end of the wound strip ispulled upon to unwind the same, and a spring upon the shaft actingagainst the other disk to return the roll endwise when the pull upon thestrip terminates.

6. In combination, a dispensing fixture having a stationary non-rotatingroll-supporting shaft with a quick-threaded portion, a roll of paper orthe like having as a permanent part thereof a core with fittings havingopenings centrally of the roll, one of said fittings cooperating as anut-element with said quick-threaded portion of the shaft to occasionendwise travel of the roll when the end of the wound strip is pulledupon to unwind the same, a collar upon the shaft acting in connectionwith the other fitting to center the roll, and a spring acting upon thesaid collar to return the roll endwise when the pull upon the stripterminates.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence, of two witnesses.

GEORGE T. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

CHAS. F. RANDALL,

ELLEN 0. SPRING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, .D. C.

